#20 | Aly Gomaa (Resound, Levitation, Psych Fest) - Producing the coolest psych rock festivals on Earth + lineup drop + innovative new format for Levitation and more!

Feb 12, 2025

Aly Gomaa, co-producer of the acclaimed Levitation and Austin Psych Fest, shares his journey from booking local venues in Austin to crafting unforgettable psychedelic rock festivals. He discusses his innovative approach to curating lineups, revealing how he balances tradition with fresh acts. Aly dives into the exciting new format for Levitation 25, emphasizing community engagement and technology's role in modern booking. Plus, the dramatic rise of artist Chappell Roan demonstrates the evolving landscape of live music—one that's as vibrant as the festivals he produces!

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Curating the Psychedelic Experience

02:26 • 5min

Festival Evolution: From Outdoors to Venues

07:19 • 16min

Curating Live Music Festivals

23:29 • 20min

From Co-ops to Booking Success

43:30 • 4min

The Evolution of Music: Milestones and Technology

47:46 • 4min

From Intern to Festival Producer: A Journey in Music

51:50 • 2min

Future Sounds: The Psychedelic Rock Renaissance

53:38 • 10min

Curating a Cohesive Festival Lineup

01:03:51 • 3min

Anticipating the Levitation Festival

01:06:51 • 12min

This was a truly fun podcast with my good friend Aly, who makes me feel deeply confident about the emerging generation carrying the torch for producing psych rock events and booking fantastic live music.

We explore the world of psychedelic rock festivals with Aly, one of the creators behind Austin Psych Fest and Levitation. In this episode, we’ll hear how he went from booking small clubs like Hole in the Wall to producing cutting-edge events across Austin, discover his process for choosing the perfect bands, and get an inside look at the new format for Levitation 25. We’ll also discuss the rise of Chappell Roan, the power of technology in booking, and the future of psych music. Stick around for our lineup add-on, where we reveal this year’s Psych Fest roster and throw a few “fastballs” at the lineup!

(00:18) – Aly’s story of producing Psych Fest, Levitation, and his start booking local legendary clubs like Hole in the Wall

(02:24) – The process of picking bands for Levitation and Psych Fest

(07:25) – Organizing decentralized music festivals at venues around Austin

(09:35) – Innovative new format & venue for Levitation 25

(24:28) – The art of booking festivals and booking in general during the social media era

(33:18) – Legendary ascent of Chappell Roan, in one tour going from not selling out Parish to headlining ACL

(37:48) – Aly’s story from his childhood in Egypt to booking bands at UT & Hole in the Wall

(49:24) – How Aly has used Prism & technology at various parts of his journey

(53:47) – The future of the industry, the future of Psych, Psych Fest Cairo/Pyramid stage?

(57:02) – The power of live music and world peace

(58:35) – Psych Fest’s absolutely incredible lineup

(1:03:40) – Creative process for booking this year’s Psych Fest

(1:14:42) – Psych Fest fastballs: most innovative in their approach to psych, most likely to show up on Dark Side of the Moon, and more

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Resound Presents,Levitation,Psych Fest

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